Triamcinolone Stimulates bFGF Production and Inhibits TGF-β1 Production by Human Dermal Fibroblasts

BACKGROUND Triamcinolone acetonide has been shown to decrease both cellular proliferation and collagen production by dermal fibroblasts. An alteration of cytokine levels may mediate these effects. OBJECTIVE To delineate the effect of triamcinolone acetonide on both cellular proliferation and the production of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) by human fibroblasts grown in a serum-free in vitro model. METHODS Human normal and keloid dermal fibroblasts were propagated in a serum-free in vitro model with exposure to 0, 5, 10, or 20 μm triamcinolone acetonide for 0, 24, 72, or 96 hours. Cell counts were determined by phase contrast microscopy. Levels of bFGF and TGF-β1 in the supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS In our study, 20 μm triamcinolone acetonide caused statistically significant increases in the peak levels of bFGF for normal and keloid fibroblast cell lines (P < 0.05). It also caused statistically significant decreases in the level of TGF-β1 for normal and keloid fibroblast cell lines. For the keloid fibroblasts, 10 μm triamcinolone acetonide also caused a statistically significant decrease in the level of TGF-β1. CONCLUSION We conclude from these results that triamcinolone acetonide increases the production of bFGF and decreases production of TGF-β1 by human dermal fibroblasts.